Ultrasound (US) imaging has provided useful information about the interior characteristics of subject under examination. A general US system includes a probe with an array of transducers and a console for controlling the array of transducers for transmitting ultrasonic waves and receiving echoes, which are processed to generate images of the interior characteristics of the subject under examination, including three dimensional (3D) volumes.
Probes intended for trans-rectal and trans-vaginal use are designed for particular applications and generally include a smaller diameter elongate probe portion in which the array is affixed at or near an end region of the end of the probe portion that inserts into the rectal or vaginal cavity. Such probes have included single element and multi-element (linear and curved) arrays, and have been affixed to the end of the probe to emit signals in a direction generally parallel to the axis of the probe or emit signals in a direction generally perpendicular to the axis of the probe.
Linear array probes have been configured to pivot and/or oscillate the transducer array along a predetermined arc. By pivoting the linear array transducer to one of a plurality of predetermined angles along the arc and successively actuating the individual or groups of transducer elements at the angle, a longitudinal rectilinear scan can be performed. By oscillating the linear array transducer back and forth along the arc, and acquiring data at each of the plurality of predetermined angles a transverse scan can be performed. The rectilinear and transverse data can be used to produce echo data in orthogonal B-scan planes, creating a field of view that forms a pie-shaped cylindrical sector.
Unfortunately, the transducer array of such probes has a limited range of rotational motion, which is along the arc. As such, the probe may need to be rotated, removed and reinserted, and/or otherwise re-orientated in order to image a region of interest, which may cause discomfort to the patient and/or consumes time that could be otherwise used with the patient and/or other patients.